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Trumpeter: VK.3001(H) First Images
jimbrae
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Posted: Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 11:00 PM UTC
Once again, Trumpeter have sent us images of another of their 1/35th scale WIPs - this time it''s 01515 - VK.3001(H). The Image Report can be seen:

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

This post was removed.
vanize
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Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 12:40 AM UTC
I really like this release, though I know some others will wonder why trumpeter has bothered with such an esoteric vehicle.

I believe this is the first prototype to use the running gear layout that was eventually developed into what the Tiger I used.

The same chassis was also modified for use with the Sturer Emil, which Trumpeter has already released.

Thanks for the head's up Jim.
H_Ackermans
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Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 01:01 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I really like this release, though I know some others will wonder why trumpeter has bothered with such an esoteric vehicle.

I believe this is the first prototype to use the running gear layout that was eventually developed into what the Tiger I used.

The same chassis was also modified for use with the Sturer Emil, which Trumpeter has already released.

Thanks for the head's up Jim.


Being a Tiger-nut this one is a definite must have!

The VK-3001(H) was developed and built as prototype for the VK 3001 program, obviously. This was for a 30 ton tank armed with the 75mm KwK L/24 gun.

Henschel further developed this vehicle based on the DW (Durchbruchwagen) which received the official designation Panzerkampfwagen VI (7.5 cm). When the request was given to incorporate a longer gun Krupp replied that this was not possible using the current in development turret for the VK-3001 program. A total of 8 0-series completed vehicles were deliverd by Henschel and Krupp-Grusson delivering the turrets.

In order to accomodate the desire for a larger gun, the specifications for the chassis were increased resulting in the VK-3601 program. Henschel's VK-3601 is seen as the direct predecessor of the later VK-4501(H) which became the Tiger-H1.

One thing to note, this specific VK-3001 program has nothing to do with the later VK-3001 program in which MAN and Daimler Benz competed and which produced the Panther.
tatbaqui
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ARMORAMA
#040
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Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 02:02 AM UTC
Thanks Jim, definitely one kit to look forward to. Do hope Trumpeter considers the VK3601 as well.

Herbert, I read that of the 8 0-series ordered, only 4 were completed and used as training vehicles; some of the turrets were used in the Atlantic / West walls. Of the remaining chassis -- would these have been the base (presumably lengthened) for the 2 Sturer Emils?

Cheers,

Tat
PantherF
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Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 02:41 AM UTC
There's something about it that I like and must have. I don't even have a Panzer III in the stash but it's very alluring to say the least.

Thanks for the heads up!
H_Ackermans
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Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 02:55 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Thanks Jim, definitely one kit to look forward to. Do hope Trumpeter considers the VK3601 as well.

Herbert, I read that of the 8 0-series ordered, only 4 were completed and used as training vehicles; some of the turrets were used in the Atlantic / West walls. Of the remaining chassis -- would these have been the base (presumably lengthened) for the 2 Sturer Emils?

Cheers,

Tat


I've been re-reading the bit in Jentz book D.W. to Tiger I and yes, only 4 were delivered, you are right.

About the Sturer Emils, although they look very similar, there are considerable differences in the layout of the running gear.

The biggest is being the arrangement of the roadwheels. On the VK-3001 the run from front to back is:
- 2 inner 2 outer 2 inner 2 outer 2 inner 2 outer 2 inner with 7 pairs of roadwheels total.

On the Panzer Selbsfahrlafette V the arrangement was:
- 2 outer 2 inner 2 outer 2 inner 2 outer 2 inner 2 outer 2 inner with 8 pairs.

Further, the rearmost axles were considerably heavier than the others, to compensate for the recoil of the 12.8 cm L/61 gun.

Interestingly, the reason for this vehicle and the 10,5 cm version on Pz IV, were the expected heavy tanks from the UK and US, but the Sturer Emils were both deployed on the Russian front.

A third VK-3001 chassis was used at Sennelager for further testing, including the attempts with trench digging equipment for the Pz-III.

What ever came of the fourth VK-3001 I haven't been able to find.
Jamesite
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Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 04:13 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Thanks Jim, definitely one kit to look forward to. Do hope Trumpeter considers the VK3601 as well.

Herbert, I read that of the 8 0-series ordered, only 4 were completed and used as training vehicles; some of the turrets were used in the Atlantic / West walls. Of the remaining chassis -- would these have been the base (presumably lengthened) for the 2 Sturer Emils?

Cheers,

Tat


Yes,

There is one that was photographed at Omaha beach:





It has had tubes welded along the base to act as attachments for camouflage netting.
I have a book at home with more info on this and those on the west wall but can't recall the info off-hand

I was under the impression the hulls were 'combined' to form the longer sturer-emil chassis?

James

H_Ackermans
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Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 05:44 AM UTC
Post war pics of Sennelager show the VK-3001 in use there next to the JagdTiger and the Grille II.

Maybe the 4th VK-3001 was canibalized to make the Sturer Emils, that could explain why it isn't mentioned anywhere.
thomokiwi
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Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 10:02 AM UTC
While I applaud the figure kits coming from Dragon, I am baffled as to why the continue to produce prototypes and/or limited run vehicles. There is a wealth of common vehicles they could produce, allied would be good. While it looks good I won't be interested in this one.
jimbrae
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Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 08:40 PM UTC

Quoted Text

While I applaud the figure kits coming from Dragon, I am baffled as to why the continue to produce prototypes and/or limited run vehicles. There is a wealth of common vehicles they could produce, allied would be good.


It's NOT Dragon, it's Trumpeter...

Also, it's worth noting that since the story was posted, over 1800 people haev been sufficiently interested to read the story - telling me (at least) there must be SOME interest in this vehicle...

Personally, it's not my cup of tea at all, but, saying that, it's great to see the interest it HAS generated. What exactly do Allied releases have to do with this announcement anyway? If you follow the News Section on this site, it's pretty obvious that Allied is getting VERY fair treatment at the moment...

So, sorry, but there isn't any kind of controversy over THIS release.
H_Ackermans
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Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 10:49 PM UTC
Trumpeter has been catering us with some very nice rare German subjects, the Sturer Emil being one of them. For Trumpeter to re-tool that one into the VK-3001 (H) is rather an obvious next step. Much of the Emil can be used on the VK-3001(H).

Here's hoping for the VK-3601(H), the Tiger-E ancestor!
tatbaqui
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ARMORAMA
#040
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Posted: Thursday, September 18, 2008 - 02:23 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Here's hoping for the VK-3601(H), the Tiger-E ancestor!


I'm with you on that!
PantherF
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Posted: Thursday, September 18, 2008 - 02:31 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Here's hoping for the VK-3601(H), the Tiger-E ancestor!


I'm with you on that!


Same here!! Prototypes I can handle, but vehicles that were never built (wooden mock-ups or only from paper) are another thing and do not top my list of interest.

On the Allied side, the MBT-70 is one example of what I'd like to see from either Trumpeter or Dragon. Prototypes are just as important in armored history as the production units that saw combat.

I'll buy this one for sure.
tatbaqui
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Posted: Thursday, September 18, 2008 - 02:36 AM UTC
On the Sturer Emils: have re-read P. Chamberlain's Encyclopedia of German Tanks, and it mentions that following the abandonment of the VK3001 project, 2 of the chassis were allocated, the hulls were extended to produce the Sturer Emils. Another reference says the same. Maybe this accounts for it then
PantherF
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Posted: Thursday, September 18, 2008 - 02:41 AM UTC
Also I'd like to see the VK3001(P) Leopard with the proposed turret that was supposed to look like the TI's.
Removed by original poster on 09/22/08 - 10:44:33 (GMT).
thomokiwi
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Posted: Sunday, September 21, 2008 - 11:45 PM UTC
Evening Jim


Quoted Text


Quoted Text

While I applaud the figure kits coming from Dragon, I am baffled as to why the continue to produce prototypes and/or limited run vehicles. There is a wealth of common vehicles they could produce, allied would be good.


It's NOT Dragon, it's Trumpeter...

Also, it's worth noting that since the story was posted, over 1800 people haev been sufficiently interested to read the story - telling me (at least) there must be SOME interest in this vehicle...

Personally, it's not my cup of tea at all, but, saying that, it's great to see the interest it HAS generated. What exactly do Allied releases have to do with this announcement anyway? If you follow the News Section on this site, it's pretty obvious that Allied is getting VERY fair treatment at the moment...

So, sorry, but there isn't any kind of controversy over THIS release.


I am not a man for controversy I just wonder why firms release prototypes that sometimes never saw the soil of any field or, maybe one or two saw combat. Allied or Axis, it's not like theres a lack of subjects to pick from.

Thanks for you news
H_Ackermans
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Posted: Monday, September 22, 2008 - 05:54 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Evening Jim


Quoted Text


Quoted Text

While I applaud the figure kits coming from Dragon, I am baffled as to why the continue to produce prototypes and/or limited run vehicles. There is a wealth of common vehicles they could produce, allied would be good.


It's NOT Dragon, it's Trumpeter...

Also, it's worth noting that since the story was posted, over 1800 people haev been sufficiently interested to read the story - telling me (at least) there must be SOME interest in this vehicle...

Personally, it's not my cup of tea at all, but, saying that, it's great to see the interest it HAS generated. What exactly do Allied releases have to do with this announcement anyway? If you follow the News Section on this site, it's pretty obvious that Allied is getting VERY fair treatment at the moment...

So, sorry, but there isn't any kind of controversy over THIS release.


I am not a man for controversy I just wonder why firms release prototypes that sometimes never saw the soil of any field or, maybe one or two saw combat. Allied or Axis, it's not like theres a lack of subjects to pick from.

Thanks for you news


But does it sell? For companies it is a much safer shot to produce a rare German vehicle than a wide-used however not yet kitted Allied one.

And it's not the companies who dictate that, it is the market, the buyers, we dictate what does and does not sell in big numbers.

Cromwell Models has lots and lots of especially British vehicles from WW-1 to modern days but does it look like Cromwell is really becoming a huge company? No, neither is Accurate Armour.

And see how quickly DML, Tristar, AFV and Trumpeter have developed as big names. And they did that all on German vehicles. Italeri and Tamiya both also depended heavily on German subjects in the 1:35 scale range.

It seems like in modelling, the bad side sells big.
Pedro
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Posted: Monday, September 22, 2008 - 07:03 AM UTC

Quoted Text

But does it sell? For companies it is a much safer shot to produce a rare German vehicle than a wide-used however not yet kitted Allied one.

And it's not the companies who dictate that, it is the market, the buyers, we dictate what does and does not sell in big numbers.

Cromwell Models has lots and lots of especially British vehicles from WW-1 to modern days but does it look like Cromwell is really becoming a huge company? No, neither is Accurate Armour.

And see how quickly DML, Tristar, AFV and Trumpeter have developed as big names. And they did that all on German vehicles. Italeri and Tamiya both also depended heavily on German subjects in the 1:35 scale range.

It seems like in modelling, the bad side sells big.


Yes it sells. If it wouldn't sell Bronco would bit the dust by now, but they are... thriving with every new allied release being better quality than the previous I dare to say. AFV wouldn't kit out the new Churchill and Centurion. Academy with their series of M3 medium suspension based vehicles (flawed, yes but even considering academy sloppy engineering those sell I dare to say). Miniart, Tasca...
But what do I know... Those companies are probably run by suicide owners that love to invest in tooling kits that don't sell.
Of course Dragon knows better and in a year or two, they will be the only company still producing plastic kits

Jim, this is an interesting vehicle, and on the topic of 1800 views, I visited this news story, simply to see what the heck the VK.3001(H) looks like (did it twice b/c I already forgot what it is) It's THAT obscure... And maybe some big part of the other 1800 viewers visited it for the same reason as me?

Greg
tjkelly
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Posted: Monday, September 22, 2008 - 07:59 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Jim, this is an interesting vehicle, and on the topic of 1800 views, I visited this news story, simply to see what the heck the VK.3001(H) looks like (did it twice b/c I already forgot what it is) It's THAT obscure... And maybe some big part of the other 1800 viewers visited it for the same reason as me?


Same here, was interested in what the VK.3001(H) looked like. After taking a good look at the tracks, would be much more interested in individual links vice the vinyl type. Maybe the kits, when they hit store shelves, will have indy links.

Looks neat regardless, will probably end up getting one down the road, just to be different.

Cheers -

Tim
thomokiwi
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Posted: Monday, September 22, 2008 - 06:49 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text



But does it sell? For companies it is a much safer shot to produce a rare German vehicle than a wide-used however not yet kitted Allied one.

And it's not the companies who dictate that, it is the market, the buyers, we dictate what does and does not sell in big numbers.

Cromwell Models has lots and lots of especially British vehicles from WW-1 to modern days but does it look like Cromwell is really becoming a huge company? No, neither is Accurate Armour.

And see how quickly DML, Tristar, AFV and Trumpeter have developed as big names. And they did that all on German vehicles. Italeri and Tamiya both also depended heavily on German subjects in the 1:35 scale range.

It seems like in modelling, the bad side sells big.
[quote]

I would suggest that companies such as Cromwell and Accurate Armour are out of the price range of most people outside the United Kingdom. An average sized Kit from them Costs over $150NZ plus postage to get here.

All said and done as long as the Kits keep coming I am happy
 _GOTOTOP